Gladiolus hybrid plant &#34;Brick Beauty&#34;

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a novel and distinct hybrid plant named ‘Brick Beauty’ (Gladiolus sp) characterized by its attractive Brick red coloured flowers with Dresden yellow color on the lip petals.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a novel hybrid plant named“Brick Beauty” and belonging to the family Iridaceae. The novel plantbeing a hybrid, has been developed in a breeding progranune. The novelplant “Brick Beauty” is propagated vegetatively by corms and hence canbe maintained as a stable genotype. The plant of the invention is anornamental plant widely cultivated for beautiful flowers which are ofcommercial and export value.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety ofgladiolus, a member of the Gladiolus genus. The novel plant is thehybrid between the gladiolus plants Vink Glory and Eurovision, which arehybrid varieties.

[0003] Gladiolus is one of the important cut flowers throughout theworld. The commercial cultivation is wide spread in temperate, tropicaland subtropical climates. The demand of new varieties with bettercolour, quality flowers, and planting materials is always existing inthe floriculture trade.

[0004] The modern garden cultivators gladiolus come from diverse geneticparentages. It has cumulative heterozygosity for many charactersinherent with complex genetic constitution. In gladiolus. diverseparents are crossed together and the cultivars and the species thatdiffer widely in chromosome numbers are also cross-fertile. In thepresent invention, the desirable strains obtained in F₁ generation wereperpetuated vegetatively without being segregated in the followinggenerations, so that the cultivars which are available today may be F₂,F₃ to F₈ or so of a particular cross further blended with some extraparents at nearly every generation. Thus they are not allowed tosegregate freely in further generations because it is desirable to growthe plants asexually. Because of this reason, now the available moderncultivars have become so complex that the offspring obtained by crossingthem, even two seedlings, do not appear similar [(Misra, 1975) GladiolusBr. Assn. Newsletter, No.12, pp.2-5].

[0005] The Applicants collected germplasm of different cultivars andhybrid varieties of gladiolus from National Botanical Research InstituteLucknow, India as per the list of gladiolus cultivars grown in India anddescribed in the bulletin of ‘gladiolus’ Economic Botany InformationService by Sharma et al. published by the Director National BotanicalResearch Institute Lucknow, 1988. Germplasm of gladiolus was alsocollected from Netherlands in 1991 and various nurseries of Kalimpong,Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. The record of the collected germplasm ofgladiolus was maintained in the accession register of the FloricultureDivision of the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT).Palampur, India.

[0006] The applicants initiated a breeding program to develop bettertypes of gladiolus hybrids suitable to wide range of climaticconditions, and having wide range of characteristics such as bettercolour, increased number of florets and spike length as per theinternational standards better yield of corms and cormels, tolerant tothe common diseases etc. The collected germplasm of gladiolus wasplanted in the experimental field of IHBT for their propagation andmultiplication. In this breeding programme conventional breeding method(hybridization) was used. More than 100 cross combinations were made byusing distinct varieties such as Oscar, Jester, Snow Princess.Eurovision, Ballerina, King Liar, Cherry Blossom, Her Majesty, Greenwoodpecker, Friendship, Vink's Glory, Aldebaran, Red Beauty, Top Brass,Copper King, Bonfire, White Goddess. Sunny Boy, Tropic Sea andFriendship Pink etc.

[0007] Color description of some of the parentage as described in NAGCBulletin.

[0008] Oscar—Turkey red. throat blotched sulphur yellow.

[0009] Green Woodpecker—Pea Green, throat blotched pea green spottedruby red.

[0010] Eurovision—Signal red, throat streaked pea green.

[0011] Friendship Pink—Dawn Pink, throat blotched pea green havingsplashes ruby red.

[0012] Aldebaran—Straw Yellow and throat bloched signal red.

[0013] As the aim is the production of seed of known parentage,emasculation in first three flowers in a selected spike is done beforethe opening of the flowers and stigma becomes receptive. Anthers areremoved carefully from each flower. Emasculated flowers were coveredwith butter paper bags used for breeding purposes. Pollination was donein the emasculated flowers next day morning with in 24-30 hours with thepollens of the desired parents in the month of April-May 1991. The seedswere collected from mature pods in the month of August-September andwere sown in beds under open field conditions and covered with drygrasses for moisture preservation in December 1991. The resultantseedlings were space planted in the field at Palampur in March-April1992.

[0014] Many seedlings came out from a single cross combination. Theseplants were critically evaluated and tagged as per the desired colourcombinations, growth and flowering parameters. The corn and cormels ofthe selected hybrid plants were replanted continuously four years in thefiled for further evaluation and multiplications. Based on the superiorperformance for attractive colour combination. compactness of flowerspike, number of flowers per spike, length of flower spike. Number ofcorm and cormels per plant evaluation and selection of superior qualityhybrids were made.

[0015] Thus, the breeding program involved hybridisation of commonlyavailable gladiolus plants. In other words, the hybrids were developedby crossing parental genotypes involving sexual hybridization in thebreeding programme.

[0016] The program yielded a number of hybrid plants out of which onegenotype namely IHBTGH-190 was selected and christened as “BrickBeauty”. This plant was found to have new colour, flower size, number offlorets per spikes. length of flower spikes. better yield of corm andcormels and less prone to common diseases. Growing the plant on acommercial scale offers the horticulturists an improved and new variety,which can be commercially cultivated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Thus, the invention provides a new genotype christened as “BrickBeauty”. This plant has been developed through planned breedingexperiments conducted at Institute of Himalayan Resources, (IHBT)Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India with defined aim to develop superiorgladiolus genotypes. For this purpose. gladiolus varieties werecollected from different sources and grown in the fields at Palampur.India for facilitating breeding program. The emasculation andpollination in different varieties were carried out during the months ofApril-May 1991. The seeds were collected in July-August 1991 and sown inbeds under open field conditions and covered with dry grasses inDecember 1991. The resultant seedlings were space planted in the fieldat Palampur in March-April 1992. The conn and cormels of survived hybridplants were replanted continuously four years for screening andmultiplication.

[0018] Based on the superior performance for attractive colourcombination, compactness of flower spikes, number of flowers per spikes,length of flower spikes, number of flowers remains open at a time,number of corm and cormel production per plant, the plant of thisinvention (IHBT-GH-190) was selected for further observation andevaluation.

[0019] Considering the superior characteristics like excellent colour,number of flowers. compactness of flower spikes, plant heightruffled-ness of flower petals, regeneration potential and freedom fromcommon diseases. it was asexually reproduced through corms and cormelsto maintain purity.

[0020] The selected hybrid IHBT-GH-190 was christened as “Brick Beauty”and grown at row distance of 1 feet and plant to plant 6 inches for fourconsecutive years to study its growth and flowering performance andmultiplication. Data were recorded on randomly selected twenty plantsevery year. The hybrid IHBT-GH-190 maintained uniformity in its growthand flowering performance.

EVIDENCE OF UNIFORMITY AND STABILITY

[0021] The hybrid IHBT-GH-190 has remained stable and uniform for itsmorphological characters and showed consistency in performance forvarious growth and flowering parameters during its evaluation andvegetative multiplication since 1992. Throughout the evaluation periodof IHBT-GH-190 no variants were found from the normal population.

[0022] The genotype IHBT-GH-190 possesses standard type flowers of Brickred (RHS-35A) with Dresden yellow (RHS-5D) colour on lip petals and theflower petals are ruffled which is quite clear from FIG. 1.

[0023] The genotype IHBT-GH- 190 is distinct in regeneration potential.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPH

[0024]FIG. 1 is a photograph of field grown flower spike of IHBT-GH-190(Brick Beauty) depicting decorative type flowers of Brick red (RHS-35A)with Dresden yellow (RHS-5D) colour on lip petals.

[0025] The plant of invention “Brick Beauty” is thus a new and distincthybrid plant, having the following combination of characters:

[0026] a) colour flowers is Brick red (RHS-35A) with Dresden yellow(RHS-2D) colour on lip petals.;

[0027] b) ruffled petals

[0028] c) Average days to flower: about 93 days.

[0029] d) average number of flower spikes plant is 1.93

[0030] e) average length of flower spikes is 115 cm.

[0031] f) average number of flowers per spikes is 18.

OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE GENOTYPE “BRICK BEAUTY”

[0032] The following is an objective description of the new variety.

[0033] 1. Genus: Gladiolits

[0034] 2. Species: Hybrid sp.

[0035] 3. Family: Iridacae

[0036] 4. Common name: Sward lily/gladiolus.

[0037] 5. Average plant height: 134.61 cm

[0038] 6. Growth habit: Erect, uniform.

[0039] 7. Average stem diameter: 1.12 cm

[0040] 8. Average number of leaves/plant: 7.24

[0041] 9. Average height of leaves: 52.03 cm

[0042] 10. Average days to flower: 93 days

[0043] 11. Type of flowers: Decorative

[0044] 12. Average Number of spikes / plant: 1.93

[0045] 13. Average Length of the flower spike: 115cm

[0046] 14. Average Number of flowers / spike: 18.0

[0047] 15. Flower colour: Brick red (RHS-35A) with Dresden Yellow(RHS-2D) colour on lip petals.

[0048] 16. Type of petals: Petals ruffled

[0049] 17. Average number of flowers that remain open at a time: 8.86

[0050] 18. Average longevity of the 1^(st) flower: 3.06 days

[0051] 19. Average diameter of 1^(st) flower: 11.8 cm

[0052] 20. Average longevity of the spike: 9.59 days

[0053] 21. Average number of corms/plant: 1.98

[0054] 22. Average diameter of corms: 6.06 cm

[0055] 23. Average number of cormels/plant: 90

[0056] The colour specifications of the flower parts distinguishingBrick Beauty from others within the same botanical and market class havebeen incorporated according to R.H.S. Colour Chart published by TheRoyal Horticultural Society, 80 Vincent Square, London S W1P 2PE, 1995.The distinguishing characteristics are compared with other cultivars ofsame botanic and market class emphasize the distinctiveness of ‘BrickBeauty’.

[0057] The genotype IHBT-GH-190 (‘Brick Beauty’) was bred at theInstitute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) under the programmeof development of new varieties of gladiolus.

1. A novel and distinct gladiolus plant christened as “Brick Beauty”characterized by the following combination of characteristics: a) colourflowers is Brick red (RHS-35A) with Dresden yellow (RHS-2D) colour onlip petals.; b) ruffled petals c) Average days to flower: about 93 days.d) average number of flower spikes/ plant is 1.93 e) average length offlower spikes is 115 cm. f) average number of flowers per spikes is 18.and substantially as herein described and illustrated.